New Ulm weekly review., 1887-11-09
A MORN ON GIRL.

n RSONNaO6V A1N 10
a Revelation Of The lnlauities 81
Polygamy-- The Unhappiness Of
Mormon Wives.
a correspondent at Salt Lake City
tells q story OF the experience OF a
Mormon girl as related by herself.
She said: III
have often been asked to marry
Mormons who had wives. will tell
you about one Of them. a wealthy
man, now dead. His name was
Franklin Nef. One day his wife the
only wife he had came to our house
and had a talk with me. She said she
wanted me to marry Mr.. Nef. was
only fifteen, but I knew what poly
amy was, and / had set my heart
against it. s'WeII, Mrs. Neff," I said,
''if he wants me he'll have to SUM
mon up cheek enough to ask me him
SELF
said this in fun, and then asked
Mrs. Neff what she thought about it.
She said herself and husband had
talked the whole matter over
and she had come to the CON
c'usion that as her husband was
Obliged to take 4 second wife she
knew nobody she'd sooner have him
take than myself, therefore she begged
me when he called to give him a favor
able answer. This proposition. COM
ing from q woman thirth-fve years
old, who had been married for years
to a husband OF about the same age.
and who had assisted him in accumu-
lating his wealth, was at once strange
and amusing. Mr.. Neff called thatsame
! Eight. and, in answer to his question,
told him that he must be crazy to
| make such an offer OF marriage to O.
| mere child, but he insisted that he
was in earnest, and he went to nv
| mother, who on account of his high
position in the church, was afraid to
fatty refuse him. Mother SAID she
would not go against my wishes, but
If he could persuade meinto polyganly
she would offer no objection; at the
same time she warned me not to give
my consent for any consideration.
| Mrs. Netf came round to see me sew
eral times. and was always urging me
to marry her husband, saying that he
could not live without NE, and both
OF them would be all the happier for
it. But the more she talked the firm
er became in my resistance. They
invited me to spend few days at
their country home. / wanted to re-
fuse, but mother said had better 60.
went, and don't think 1 spent a
more miserable time anywhere in all
my life. The husband was continual
ly asking me to go buggy-riding with
him and the wife was coaxing me to con-
Sent. Still, / thought saw that the
woman was unhappy. She seemed to
be doing what she did against her
will. A ball was gwen III the neighbor-
hood and wanted to GO. Mrs. Neff
asked me to go with Frank (that was
her husband s name), but Isaid no,
would so alone, unless she agreed to
go along. She agreed. and went. That
man tried his vary hardest that night
| to dance with me, and his wife even
| asked me to dance with him but I
kept plenty OF engagements ahead
with the young fellows and he got no
dance.
Some one then told him that Iwould
not dance with him while Mrs. .Neff was
| present, so he told her and she went
home. After she went he came to me
and said she had gone and he hoped
now lie would have the pleasure OF a
dance. but continued to make ex-
cuses and avoided HIM. The time
came for to 60 home, and refused to
allow him to accompany me unless
there was third party along. His
brother Amos accompanied us, and
after leaving me at the door the two
men went to amos Naf's house.
found Mrs. Netf in her room in tears
a more heartbroken woman ! never
saw. She had been sitting there fret.
ting and crying moaning for hours.
thinking that was dancing with her
husband and that was coming home
alone with him. And only the nieht
i l. \ !.